Sampling apparatus



United States Patent C) 3,534,613 SAMPLING APPARATUS Bruce W. Travor, Holland, and Lennord L. Pitney, Levittown, Pa., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Feb. 10, 1969, Ser. No. 797,741

Int. Cl. G01n 1/14 US. Cl. 73425.6 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for sampling contents of sealed containers having a sampling pin being driven through a container outer wall by a pyrotechnic device which device simultaneously creates a vacuum for withdrawing a sample from the container. A longitudinally grooved sampling pin is driven in response to initiation of the pyrotechnic device, through the sealed container wall, to permit extraction of a container sample which is withdrawn through the grooved pin and a conduit that fluidly connects the grooved pin with a vacuum chamber.

The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to use of any royalty thereon.

The disposal of unexploded ordnance such as bombs has occasionally presented serious safety hazards for disposal personnel. Where the bomb contents are not identifiable by outer markings or other indicia of their contents, they have generally been treated as high-explosive devices and disposed of by destruction according to the procedures set forth for such munitions. If the ordnance does not contain high-explosives but rather chemical, biological or radiological warefare compounds then the destruction procedures for high-explosive ordnance create a dangerous situation. Disposal personnel may be contaminated by an unexpected release of these contents upon destruction.

It is therefore an object of this invention to reduce safety hazards associated with the disposal of unexploded ordnance by providing an apparatus for safely sampling such ordnance.

It is another object to provide an ordnance sampling apparatus capable of remote actuation.

It is a further object to provide a device for sealing a sampling port in a sealed container surface upon removal of a sampling apparatus creating such port.

It is a still further object to provide a pyrotechnically operated sampling device capable of creating a sampling vacuum simultaneously with the penetration of a sealed container by a sampling pin.

Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent from the accompanying specification taken in light of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a reduced elevational view partly in section and showing a preferred embodiment of the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a sampling pin component of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

A support bracket 12 having four legs is attached to a container having an outer surface and contents 11.

3,534,613 Patented Get. 20, 1970 This bracket has adjustable bands 14 which enable it to be securely and removably attached to a container outer surface. Bracket 12 is shaped to slidably receive a eylindrical aluminum casing 13 which has an annular groove 15 for receiving a ring seal 16. Groove 15 is dimensioned to provide a thin wall between its outer annular wall and the casing outer wall. This thin wall will crush against the container surface upon a predetermined amount of pressure and in combination with the ring seal, will form a seal which conforms to the container contour. Casing 13 is held in position against the container surface by the action of housing shoulder 17 bearing on casing wall surface 18. Interrupted mounting threads 20 on housing 19 engage similar threads in the support bracket and provide the necessary bearing pressure when the housing is rotated relative thereto. This rotation will also cause housing axis AA to be aligned substantially normal to the container surface.

Casing 13 has a cylindrical chamber 23 in which is formed an annular groove 21 which receives a ring seal 22. In the cylindrical wall of chamber 23 is a port 24 which is connected to tubular elbow 25. A shelf 38 is formed with casing chambers 23 and has an aperture through which pin ogive portion 29 partially projects. This shelf serves to normally maintain the sampling pin approximately inch from a container surface. The shelf, however, has a thin cross section so that it is easily broken upon a slight amount of outward pin movement.

Located within housing 19 inwardly of casing surface 37 is a cylinder 26 in which is positioned a sampling pin 27. Sampling pin 27 is slidably positioned in cylinder 26 by insertion through cylinder aperture 28 prior to the assembly of the housing with the casing.

Sampling pin 27 (FIG. 2) has a cylindrical enlarged head portion 28A and an ogive shaped portion 29. The pin is preferably tapered intermediate the portions 28A and 29. Formed in the tapered surface along a longitudinal axis are grooves 28B (FIGS. 2 and 3). These grooves are preferably concave in shape and are peripherally spaced along the pin tapered surface.

A bore 31 (FIG. 1) is located inwardly of cylinder 26. Formed between bore 31 and cylinder 26 is an annular seat 32 on which is positioned a resilient tubular shock absorber 33. Shock absorber 33 is preferably of wooden material and slidably receives the elongated shank portion 34 of driving piston 35, which portion intimately contacts head 28A of pin 27. Piston 35, circumferentially grooved to receive a conventional ring seal 36, is inserted in bore 31 prior to the mating of detonating assembly 39 with housing 19. Also inserted in bore 31 is bushing 40 which has an annular groove 42A in which is placed ring seal 42. A conventional cartridge 43 is inserted within bushing 40.

Detonating assembly 39, having a seal 44A in groove 44B, is secured to housing 19 by means of threads 44. In assembly 39, having a ring seal 46 in groove 47, is placed firing pin 45 having an elongated shank. Firing pin has a shoulder 48 and a pointed portion 49. Point 49 is slidably positioned in an aperture spacer 50. Spacer 50 engages shoulder 48 to limit firing pin travel to a predetermined distance.

Firing pin 45 is exposed to passageway 51 which in turn is connected to a conventional electrically operated primer capsule placed in fitting 52. Use of this type primer facilitates remote actuation.

Attached to detonating assembly 39 by means of threads 53 is a vacuum asembly housing 54. Housing 54 has a partition 55 with an aperture for slidably receiving connecting link 56. An annular groove 57 is formed within the partition aperture and receives a ring seal 58. Integral with one end of connecting link 56 is piston 61 which has conventional ring sealing means 61A. Between piston 61 and passage 51 is located fluid or gas expansion chamber 62. Chamber 60 formed at the link end of piston 61 is vented to the atmosphere through ports 59.

Piston 63 with ring sealing means 63A is attached to another end of link 56 by means of a snap ring or conventional mechanical fastener 63B. Between the link end surface of piston 63 and partition 55 is formed vacuum chamber 64. Connected to vacuum chamber 64 through port 65 is tubular elbow 66. Connecting tubular elbow 66 with tubular elbow 25 is a clear flexible tubular member 67 having a disconnect and seal 68.

Chamber 69 located adjacent piston 63 is vented to the atmosphere through port 70 located in dust cap 71 which is attached to vacuum assembly 55 by means of screw threads 72-.

Sampler operation proceeds as follows:

Detonation of primer capsule located in fitting 52 causes gases therefrom to expand into passageway 51. Pressure from these gases acting on surface 73 of firing pin 45 and surface 74 of piston 61 cause the firing pin 45 to move downward and piston 61 to move upward. As the firing pin 45 moves downward its pointed portion 49 contacts the primer cap of cartridge 43 and detonates it. Further downward movement of the firing pin 45 is checked by shoulder 48 contacting spacer 50.

Expanding gases from detonated cartridge 43 cause driving piston 34 to move downward, pushing sampling pin 27 before it. Initial movement of pin 27 breaks shelf 38 which permits pin ogive portion 29 to pierce container surface 10. Continued downward movement of piston 34 is checked when it contacts shock absorber 33. Surface 37 of casing 13 limits the downward motion of pin 27 by contacting pin head 28A. Pressure between pin head 28A and surface 37 aids in providing a seal along the container surface by placing an additional amount of pressure on seal 16.

Simultaneously with the aforementioned pin movement, piston 61 and link 56 move upward. As piston 61 moves upward, air normally present in chamber 60 is vented to the atmosphere through port 59. Upward movement of connecting link 56 and its connected piston 63 creates a vacuum in chamber 64. This movement also causes air normally present in chamber 69 to be vented to the atmosphere through port 70.

The vacuum present in chamber 64 will cause a sample of container contents 11 to be drawn upward through sampling pin grooves 283 into casing chamber 23. The sample then passes through port 24, elbow 25 tube 67 and enters vacuum chamber 64 through elbow 66 and port 65. Tube 67 may then be disconnected and sealed at disconnect 68. Housing 19 may then be removed from bracket 12 by disengaging mounting threads 20. Bracket 12 is removed from the container surface by disconnecting bands 14. Casing 13 is then left projecting from the container surface 10, with frictional forces between the tapered pin surface and the pierced container wall providing a sufiicient pressure along ring seal 16 to maintain an atmospheric seal. Analysis of the sampled contents will then indicate the proper disposal procedures to follow.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:

1. A sampling apparatus comprising:

a housing,

a cylindrical casing located partially within said housing having an open ended cylindrical chamber positioned coaxially with the housing longitudinal axis, one end being adapted to be sealed to a container outer surface,

an annular groove in said chamber cylindrical wall for receiving sealing means, said groove located a predetermined distance inward of said open end and dividing said chamber into inner and outer portions,

an adjustable bracket releasably connecting said open end to a container surface, said bracket adapted to maintain said longitudinal axis aligned substantially normal to said surface,

hermetic sealing means positioned between said open end and said surface,

a sampling pin normally located within said housing substantially coaxial therewith and having an enlarged head portion and an ogive end portion, said head portion slidably positioned in a cylinder located inward said casing, said ogive portion positioned outwardly said groove, said pin adapted to pierce the container surface upon a predetermined amount of travel,

passage means in said pin for conveying a portion of the contents of said container to said chamber outer portion,

means including a shoulder for limiting pin travel, said means located on said casing inwardly of said groove,

sealing means within said groove in intimate contact with said pin surface intermediate said pin ends, said sealing means fluidly insulating said chamber inner portion from said outer portion,

a vacuum chamber and a conduit connecting said outer portion to said vacuum chamber, said conduit adapted to convey a portion of said container contents to said vacuum chamber,

means for inducing a vacuum chamber,

a bore having a diameter larger than said cylinder located coaxially within said housing, said bore having a seat located a predetermined distance inward of said cylinder, said seat having a tubular shock absorber positioned thereon,

a driving piston within said bore having a cylindrical elongated portion normal to one piston surface and concentric therewith, said elongated portion projecting through said shock absorber into contact with said pin head, said shock absorber adapted to limit piston travel and to absorb piston kinetic energy,

fluid expansion means for urging said piston outwardly,

and

said sampling pin passage means including at least one longitudinal groove in said pin surface extending therealong intermediate said enlarged head portion and said ogive portion apex.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said sampling pin passage means includes a plurality of lonigtudinal grooves peripherally spaced in said pin surface and extending intermediate said enlarged head portion and said ogive portion apex.

3. The arrangement as defined in claim 2 wherein said grooves are concave.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said sampling pin is tapered intermediate said head portion and said ogive portion.

5. The structure of claim 1 including an open ended cylinder having one end attached to said housing, said cylinder having a partition located substantially intermediate said ends transverse the cylinder longitudinal axis, said partition having an aperture adapted to slidably receive a rigid connecting link, said link having a first piston connected to one end of said link and a second piston connected to the other end of said link, said first piston positioned within said cylinder adjacent said cylinder attached end and defining a movable end of an expansion chamber, said second piston located within said cylinder, said vacuum chamber being located between said partition and said piston link end surface,

a passage fluidly connecting said expansion chamber with said fluid expansion means, venting means for maintaining said first piston link end surface at atmospheric pressure, and sealing means for fluidly insulating said vacuum chamber from said expansion chamber. 6. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said casing is removably attached to said housing.

7. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said sampling pin has a con cal end portion opposite said head end portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Day et al 73421.5 Fabian et a1. 137-318 Williams 7352 Stutler et al. 73-421.5

McGuckin 73421.5 Brown et al 73425.2

10 LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner H. C. POST III, Assistant Examiner 

